PHVs were allowed to use bus lanes in a bid to ease horrendous city centre traffic caused by major building work at one of the busiest times of the year – the run-up to Christmas. But it doesn’t look like the quick-fix is part of Belfast’s long-term traffic solution.
Belfast Live reports there had been horrendous traffic problems in the city centre for weeks before Christmas and private-hire drivers had again appealed to be allowed to use bus lanes in a bid to ease the congestion which they said cost them thousands of bookings a week.
Alternative
Bus lanes are usually reserved for buses, with taxis, cyclists and motorcyclists being allowed to use them at the discretion of the local authority. By limiting the number of vehicles allowed to use them, the aim is to keep the lanes clear for permitted vehicles to get through.
But as traffic continues to get worse across the UK, cities and towns including Portsmouth and Reading have allowed PHVs into bus lanes to further reduce traffic.
For Belfast’s Licensed Taxi Operators Association, the decision to temporarily allow PHVs to enter bus lanes on December 18 was “too little, too late”, according to the BBC. Association co-ordinator Stephen Anton added: “We don’t think that’s going to help us as much as we would have liked.”
The association told Belfast Live: “In our opinion, taxis are public transport and are as much a part of the solution to these issues as buses and trains. Increasing bus and train provision is a long-term solution which requires significant operational and financial investment, whereas improving taxi efficiency could be delivered quickly and with little cost to the public purse.
Delays
“Congestion in the city centre is reducing the number of journeys that taxi drivers can complete – one Belfast based operator commented that if taxi journey efficiency was returned to pre-current congestion levels, it would allow them to offer an additional 2,000 bookings per week, and that’s just one operator.
“Even 2,000 bookings, with an average of 2.5 passengers per booking would mean that 5,000 extra passengers could be assisted – whether that’s getting to work, the pub, the hospital appointment, or to the supermarket.
“All of these additional journeys will help improve the fortunes of the hospitality and retail sectors and surely will help reduce specific time-related delays around missed hospital and doctors’ appointments.”
The association said nothing had happened following previous pledges to let PHVs into bus lanes when they are working and have passengers on board or are on their way to collect fares.
Belfast Live reports that Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd told the Assembly he accepts there have been delays to car journey times in the city centre. He said that a strategic oversight group is considering what can be done to ease congestion at peak times.
Specific solutions
While Belfast’s traffic problems were made worse by city centre building projects, simply opening bus lanes to PHVs is not a one-stop solution for all congestion areas.
After careful research and analysis, private-hire drivers in Reading were finally allowed to use the bus lanes in both directions on the main King’s Road in and out of the town centre, having previously only been allowed to go into it.
And despite a hugely successful trial in Portsmouth, the city council decided not to extend PHV access beyond the five bus lanes designated for the pilot because there was “limited traffic flow benefit compared to the high costs involved”.
Congestion continues to get worse in towns and cities across the UK and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Simply allowing PHVS into bus lanes risks clogging them up causing further gridlock.
As Belfast’s officials meet this month to consider a permanent solution, perhaps allowing PHVs to use bus lanes at peak times might help keep traffic – and people – flowing through the busy city centre.
